When did we first get taught the steps of repentance?

[Rain]

I know the steps of repentance has been around for a long time. When did the church first teach it in step form?

[Duncan]

I don't know if it was the earliest but an early talk about comes from Elder William J. Critchlow Jr. in 1962 General Conference

"Now if in the process of repenting we follow these six steps, represented by the six " R's " -- may I list them: Recognition, remorse, relating, restitution, resolution, and reformation we should have placed ourselves in a position to enjoy the seventh step represented by another great big " R " which stands for realization -- realization of the happiness that comes from righteous living. "

[rpn]

I learned them before my baptism in the sixties (but they weren't the same ones from the Critchlow post).  I teach them as recognition of it as sin, stop doing it, confession, restitution, don't do it again.

Edited January 26, 2023 by rpn

[MiserereNobis]

My thoughts on spiritual steps:

Steps for spiritual progress can be useful in broad ways, but can also become detrimental and even insidious if the steps are mistakenly used to replace God's grace. In my experience, this happens even without the person (me!) consciously thinking in such terms. Rare is the Christian who thinks, "I don't need Christ's atonement." More common, however, is the Christian who thinks, "if I do A, B, and C, then X, Y, and Z will happen" and perhaps tacks on God's grace as somewhat of an afterthought, but leaves the focus on the steps.

X, Y, and Z can happen without A, B, and C, and a Christian can do A, B, and C and X, Y, and Z might still not happen.

Sometimes the steps don't work because God wants us to see that spiritual progression is at heart not an issue of actions and checklists and accumulate this and get rid of that and on and on. I think sometimes God withholds X, Y, and Z so we will finally stop trying so hard to do it ourselves, and perhaps sit down with our ego so exhausted that it lets go of control, and finally we can "be still and know that I am God."

 

[pogi]

3 minutes ago, MiserereNobis said:

Sometimes the steps don't work because God wants us to see that spiritual progression is at heart not an issue of actions and checklists and accumulate this and get rid of that and on and on. I think sometimes God withholds X, Y, and Z so we will finally stop trying so hard to do it ourselves, and perhaps sit down with our ego so exhausted that it lets go of control, and finally we can "be still and know that I am God."

12 step groups teach this idea.  Oh crap, there are those dang steps again! 

[Rain]

30 minutes ago, MiserereNobis said:

My thoughts on spiritual steps:

Steps for spiritual progress can be useful in broad ways, but can also become detrimental and even insidious if the steps are mistakenly used to replace God's grace. In my experience, this happens even without the person (me!) consciously thinking in such terms. Rare is the Christian who thinks, "I don't need Christ's atonement." More common, however, is the Christian who thinks, "if I do A, B, and C, then X, Y, and Z will happen" and perhaps tacks on God's grace as somewhat of an afterthought, but leaves the focus on the steps.

X, Y, and Z can happen without A, B, and C, and a Christian can do A, B, and C and X, Y, and Z might still not happen.

Sometimes the steps don't work because God wants us to see that spiritual progression is at heart not an issue of actions and checklists and accumulate this and get rid of that and on and on. I think sometimes God withholds X, Y, and Z so we will finally stop trying so hard to do it ourselves, and perhaps sit down with our ego so exhausted that it lets go of control, and finally we can "be still and know that I am God."

 

I started this thread because I am teaching this week.  Part of it is from Matt. 3, Mark 1 and Luke 3 where it talks about "baptism of repentance for the remission of sins".

I have struggled for some time about repentance. The concept seemed so easy.  I understood the steps, but I just wasn't getting it.  When I talked to people about it they didn't get what I didn't get.

But teaching this week I thought I need to understand this a little better. Then I found President Nelson's talk that said this:

"The word for repentance in the Greek New Testament is metanoeo. The prefix meta- means “change.” The suffix -noeo is related to Greek words that mean “mind,” “knowledge,” “spirit,” and “breath.”

"Thus, when Jesus asks you and me to “repent,” He is inviting us to change our mind, our knowledge, our spirit—even the way we breathe. He is asking us to change the way we love, think, serve, spend our time, treat our wives, teach our children, and even care for our bodies.

"Nothing is more liberating, more ennobling, or more crucial to our individual progression than is a regular, daily focus on repentance.

"Repentance is not an event; it is a process. It is the key to happiness and peace of mind. When coupled with faith, repentance opens our access to the power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ."

And suddenly I got it and it was just like you said here.  I realized the steps had been holding me back in my understanding and in doing it. 

So I started searching for when the steps came about.  I was surprised by how many sites, our church and not, had 4, 7, 8 and if I remember right, even 12 steps of repentance! It is interesting that the steps started in the 60s, but I can't put my finger on why. Are the steps something the Catholic Church teaches as well?

So I think you are right that they can be useful, but they can make us miss the very essence of it.

[Calm]

18 minutes ago, Rain said:

is interesting that the steps started in the 60s, but I can't put my finger on why.

When did business management become a trained profession?  I suspect that and therapy has greatly changed the way we (humanity in general…at least cultures who use these paradigms) approach self improvement and life in general, including in the church with goal setting, etc. If I was so inclined today, I would go do some surfing, but I am not. I bet the step approach started around the same time as self help books started to flourish, etc.  AA started in 1935, started really being publicized in the 1940’s with its 12 Steps. 

[Calm]

9 hours ago, Duncan said:

I don't know if it was the earliest but an early talk about comes from Elder William J. Critchlow Jr. in 1962 General Conference

"Now if in the process of repenting we follow these six steps, represented by the six " R's " -- may I list them: Recognition, remorse, relating, restitution, resolution, and reformation we should have placed ourselves in a position to enjoy the seventh step represented by another great big " R " which stands for realization -- realization of the happiness that comes from righteous living. "

I remember being taught them in Primary, so mid to late 60’s….not sure if they included relating, at least under that term and reformation I remember as “return” as in returning to the right path, but don’t know when I picked that up. I should ask my sister, see if she remembers. 
 

It might have been just recognition, remorse, restitution, and return. 

Edited January 27, 2023 by Calm

[Hamba Tuhan]

Duplicate. (Why does this even happen???)

Edited January 27, 2023 by Hamba Tuhan

[Hamba Tuhan]

1 hour ago, Rain said:

And suddenly I got it and it was just like you said here.  I realized the steps had been holding me back in my understanding and in doing it. 

Yeah, I've never found them useful either. My repentance has always looked/felt different -- certainly not linear, as steps imply. When I was younger, I sometimes worried that I wasn't repenting right because I hadn't included every 'step'. I outgrew that quite quickly. I'm a practical man; if I experience forgiveness and find myself back in a state of grace, then I've certainly repented 'correctly'!

I was in a YSA fireside with Pres Oaks once when he said roughly the same thing: the Holy Ghost is God; therefore, if you experience the influence/companionship of the Holy Ghost in your life, then God had deemed you fit to be back in His presence through the justification of the Son.

I also like the Old Testament Hebrew word that is translated as 'repentance': to turn around or turn back. That's it. Every single time I have turned around, no matter how far off the path I have wandered, the Saviour has been right behind me.

[Calm]

Looks like it is out there a lot. 
 

Quote

The above elements are similar to what many refer to as the “Four R’s”: Remorse, Restitution, Rehabilitation and Request for Forgiveness (e.g., Goulston, 2004). Others make reference to the five R’s: Recognition, Remorse, Repentance, Restitution, and Reform (Price, 1998). Lazare (2004, pp. 74, 107) also sees an apology as consisting of four parts: (1) acknowledging the offense; (2) communicating remorse and the related attitudes and behaviors, such as remorse, regret, shame, humility, and sincerity; (3) explanations as to why the offense was committed; and (4) an offer of reparations/restitution

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.2202/1940-1639.1510

[Hamba Tuhan]

1 hour ago, Calm said:

Looks like it is out there a lot. 

I suspect they originated with some 'left-brained' person who genuinely found them helpful, and then got repeated by similar figures in the Church who hoped others would find them helpful too. Whenever I've had them in a lesson (as when I taught Gospel Principles), I always said, 'Hey, here are some ideas that you might use as you learn to repent. Pick and choose what works for you'.

Edited January 27, 2023 by Hamba Tuhan

[rchorse]

Steps may help some people at some points in their lives, but I don't think they're necessary. I think they can also be detrimental if over emphasized.

I was taught and have taught different lists of steps over time. I've come to realize that repentance is simply a change of heart.

[Rain]

Hmm.  Interesting.  Since thinking about all this I've had Elder Bednar's ideas about doctrines, principles and applications in my head.  While I understand the concept of them I always forget the exact meanings.  Here they are:

Doctrines - are eternal, do not change, and pertain to eternal progression and exaltation of Heavenly Father’s sons and daughters.  

Principles - is a doctrinally based guideline for the righteous exercise of moral agency.  They provide directions.  It is not a behavior or a specific action.  It provides guidelines for behavior and actions.

Applications - actual behaviors, actions steps, and practices by which gospel doctrines and principles are enacted. Can vary according to needs and circumstances.

Sorry, can't get those to unbold. 

 

So we have:

Doctrine: the atonement

Principle: repentance

Applications: steps of repentance (sorrow, confession etc)

No wonder I felt there was something missing.  I was thinking of the steps as principles, but they are only applications. 

 

 

[The Nehor]

Getting taught the six steps of repentance by an ‘enthusiastic’ teacher put me off repenting for years. When it was pointed out that repenting of a sin and then doing it again meant the punishment for the second offense would be MUCH worse and repentance much harder I made the logical decision to not try to repent of anything until I was sure I would never do it again.

[manol]

2 hours ago, The Nehor said:

Getting taught the six steps of repentance by an ‘enthusiastic’ teacher put me off repenting for years. When it was pointed out that repenting of a sin and then doing it again meant the punishment for the second offense would be MUCH worse and repentance much harder I made the logical decision to not try to repent of anything until I was sure I would never do it again.

NO WASTED EFFORT!  I love it!

My son finished his anatomy class with an 89.6 average, which his teacher rounded up to a 90, which in turn was the lowest possible "A".

When he told me, I congratulated him on his efficiency.  NO WASTED EFFORT!

Edited January 28, 2023 by manol